Gishwati Mukura national park
Gishwati Mukura national park is the new national park that was established during 2015. The main aim to why the park was to protect the country’s wildlife that are found in the park majorly the chimpanzees. The park is the smallest park covering a total of 34 sq. kms of space and bringing together Gishwati forest and Mukura forest. Gishwati Mukura currently it’s the most visited national park in on a Rwanda safari, which gives the tourists the experience of some species of the Albertine region. The park is located in the northwestern part of Rwanda.
Attractions in Gishwati Mukura National Park.
Primates.
Gishwati Mukura national park has got the highest number of the primates that makes the park the most excellent attracted one, on a Rwandan safari. Due to the presence of thick forests in the park, the park has got the chimpanzees that are the main attraction in the park, other primates to be seen in the park includes the white and black colobus monkeys, olive baboons and among others.
Wildlife.
Gishwati Mukura national park boasts the large number of the animal species that do inhabit in the park, majorly the primates like the chimpanzees, though other animal species that inhabits the park includes the African Palm civet, serval cat, side striped jackal, Giant pouched rat, bush pig, black fronted duiker that can be seen in the forest and also the countless number of the big number of mammals like the buffalos
Bird species.
Gishwati Mukura national park has got the best places that is presence of the different tree species that boasts the large number of bird species to inhabit the area including the Grey Crowned Crane, Regal Sunbird, Ruwenzori Batis, Dusky Crimson wing, Mountain Yellow Warblers and among many others.
Activities done at Gishwati Mukura National Park.
Chimpanzee trekking.
Chimpanzee trekking is the main safari activity that is done in Gishwati Mukura National Park, this starts with the briefing about the rules and regulations to follow while doing chimpanzee trekking at the park headquarters early in the morning. After the briefing you can be grouped in different groups with the guidance of the well experienced guides that takes in different trekking trails deep in the jungle to find these primates that are close to the human beings by sharing 98% DNA.
The activity takes a period of about 30 minutes to four hours and after finding these creatures the guests are given one hour to be with the presence of chimpanzees while watching their behaviors, watching how they play, how they feed, how the old ones groom young ones and among many others.
Bird watching.
Gishwati Mukura national park Rwanda has got the amazing bird watching safari that is the park is known for being the birding paradise with over 235 bird species that are found in the forest, including the endangered Albertine rift like the Rwenzori Blue Turaco. Other bird species to be sighted in the park includes the Martial Eagle, Grey Crowned Crane, grasshopper buzzard, Regal Sunbird, Cardinal woodpecker, black-faced apalis, handsome francolin, red-faced barbet, booted eagle, strange weaver, Dusky Crimson wing, Red-throated Alethe, Purple-breasted sun bird, Grauer’s swamp warbler and many others and these gives the tourists the best bird watching safari experiences on a Rwanda safari.
Guided nature walks and hiking.
Guided nature walks and hiking can be done in Gishwati Mukura National Park. These are done with the presence of the well experienced guides or armed ranger guides while taking the different trekking trails like the waterfall trail, Umushwati trail, Matyazo trail and among others while taking you through different hiking trails as they protect you from the dangerous animal species. The guided nature walks and hiking in Gishwati Mukura national park offers the tourists with the best opportunities to visit Kazenenza waterfall, meeting various primates, mammals and vast numbers of bird species.
Gishwati Mukura national park wildlife
Cultural experiences.
Tourists on a safari to Gishwati Mukura national park experience the cultural tours with the communities around the forest. This is where the tourists get the chance to interact with the local people, watching them as they dong their daily activities in the community, listen their stories, enjoying the entertainments by the traditional dancers. Also here the tourists can be able to learn how to make the art and crafts, preparing local food and many more, enjoying sighting the traditional healers who use the local herbs to cure various diseases.
Biking.
Biking in Gishwati Mukura national park, is done along the Congo Nile trail that makes your safari the most incredible one when you take part in it. The Congo Nile trail passes next to the park gives the tourists the opportunity to spot some of the park’s wildlife like the chimpanzees, monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons among others and variety of bird species.
Best time to visit Gishwati Mukura National Park Rwanda.
Gishwati Mukura National park can be visited at any time of the year. Though the dry season or peak season is good to visit the park between June to September and December to February that’s when there can be less rainfall in the park. This makes chimpanzee trekking trails to be passable not slippery or muddy like in the rainy season, again that’s when the park’s vegetation can be short and thin hence giving the clear views of the wildlife that are in the park.
Though the tourists who come to Gishwati Mukura national park during the rainy season, in the period of March to May and October to November, enjoys being independent in the park alone, easy spotting the chimpanzees as they can be spread all over the park due to the presence of food, that’s the period when the tourists enjoys big discounts of the accommodation rates.
Where to stay in Gishwati Mukura National Park.
Tourists who come to visit Gishwati Mukura National Park are given and provided with different safari accommodations that are well facilitated and comfortable for the tourists that are categorized into Budget, Mid-range and luxury accommodation for example like the Gishwati Lodge, Emeraude Kivu resort, INZU lodge, Peace guest hotel, The Uwinka campsite, Comoran Lodge and many others.
How to get to Gishwati-Mukura National Park.
Gishwati Mukura National park can be accessed in different ways that’s both the road transport and the air transport. That is the travelers can drive from Kigali the capital city of Rwanda that takes them about 2 hours’ drive to reach the park. And also accessing the park can be the help of the air transport which is the fastest way to reach the park while using the chartered flight from Kigali to Gishwati Mukura National Park.
